When starting up a brand new blog, one of the most crucial decisions you’ll have to make is deciding on which blogging platform will work best for you. To avoid any confusion, we created this list of the best blogging platforms to make money in 2021.

As relatively new bloggers ourselves, we completely understand how overwhelming everything can seem, especially considering all the different platforms available. 

We know your mind might be racing and panicking right now but don’t fret, we got you!

Keep in mind that this list is only focusing on paid blogging platforms because a paid platform will drastically increase your chances of making money from your blog.

However, if you’re on a budget, then check out our recommendations for free blogging platforms.

P.S. If you’re interested in making money online and starting an online business, check out our #1 recommended strategy that we used to build our business from scratch!

You’ll get access to step-by-step training, how-to videos, and a private business advisor to help you get started. It’s the perfect solution for beginners! 🙂

Before we give you our list of the best blogging platforms to make money, let’s answer some questions you probably have.

Disclosure: We partner with several companies that offer products and services to help you achieve your goals! We may get a small commission at no additional cost to you!

What is a blogging platform?

When we first decided to start a blog, we had no clue what a blogging platform was and why it’s so important. And hopefully, we weren’t the only clueless people.

Now, here’s our interpretation of a blogging platform:

A blogging platform serves as your “ingredients,” also known as the foundation of a blog.

All websites that you see on the outside is the result of endless lines of coding. These codes come together to create the beautiful and organized layouts that you see when your page loads, similarly to baking.

But don’t worry, you don’t need to learn how to code to start blogging…these platforms do it for you! 

P.S. Not sure if you should start a blog yet? Check out our article where we explain 12 reasons why you should start now!

Why Should I Use A Paid Blogging Platform?

If your goal is to make money from your blog, or if you want to monetize it, then you need to go with a paid blogging platform. 

Free blogging platforms are best for people who intend to use their blogs as hobbies or for personal enjoyment. It’s also a great option if you’re new to blogging and want some experience before switching to a paid platform.

The most popular blogging platforms come with a free version; however, depending on what you intend to use your blog for, a free plan may not be best for you.

Learn more about free blogging platforms here!

It’s essential to have your ultimate goal of creating a blog in mind when you start the process of choosing the best blogging platform. 

Alright, enough prologue. 

Let’s go over the best blogging platforms to make money in 2021!

Best Blog Platform to Make Money

WordPress.org

WordPress is the #1 most popular and widely used blogging platform in the world! In fact, WordPress powers roughly 34.5% of all websites on the internet today. 

If you search “WordPress” on Google, you’ll see two different websites that pop up. Don’t get confused!

There are two WordPress versions including WordPress.com (free version) and WordPress.org (paid version). 

Since this list is only covering paid blogging platforms, we’ll only be talking about the paid version.  

Key Features: 

Plugins: Offers thousands of plugin extensions to add social networking, forums, calendars, search engine optimization, social media widgets, spam protection, and the list goes on.

Customization: You have full control to create any type of website possible! This can include a personal blog or website, a magazine, a professional portfolio, a business website, a photoblog, an eCommerce store, a news website, anything you can think of! 

Website Themes: You can get creative with creating the perfect website with hundreds of themes and plugins. As a bonus, if you know how to code, then you can build your own applications.

Media Management: Allows you to quickly and easily upload images, videos, and GIFs through its simple drag and drop feature. You can easily add text, captions, and pictures in posts. They also provide several image editing tools to enhance images when uploading.

Price: 

*Shown above is Bluehost hosting pricing

Technically, WordPress is free to use but you do need to find your own hosting site. The price for hosting can be as low as $2.95/month but varies based upon which hosting site, plan, and theme you choose. The final price will change depending on what add-ons you want to include. 

Pros: 

• Able to create beautiful blogs and websites that are perfect for your needs
• Access to over thousands of themes and plugins to customize
• User friendly with many different options to integrate 
• Excellent customer service to help 
• Allows you to build SEO-friendly URLs, tags, and categories for posts.

Cons: 

• There’s a steep learning curve when you’re first starting.
• It’s your responsibility to manage site security and backups. 
• Customization of the website can get pricey.

WordPress.org is best for … people who want full ownership of their blog and the ability to customize it to their satisfaction. We highly recommend it for those who are committed to making their blog a permanent hobby or job. 

If you’re new to blogging, we recommend pairing WordPress with Bluehost to get the best of both worlds! 

Best Blog Platform For Writers

Squarespace

Squarespace is a drag-and-drop building blog platform. It’s known for its image-rich content and beautiful templates to choose from. Squarespace is also known as the apple for blog platform software, and Wix is known as Android. 

Key Features: 

Customer Service: Award-winning customer support through its live chat feature. You can get an answer to your questions almost instantly with no hassle.  

Style: Advanced themes come optimized for all platforms. You can also use advanced customization through their portal when needed. 

Mobile App: Squarespace is perfect for those who travel frequently and work on the go. Their mobile app allows you to edit almost all aspects of your site, including pages, posts, and stores!    

Price: 

Starting at $12/month and up, a total of 4 different pricing plans. To see the entire selection of Squarespace pricing options and plans, click here. 

Pros: 

• Squarespace uses clean, modern-looking templates & themes. 
• The platform is beginner-friendly and easy to customize.
• The mobile-friendly app is perfect for those who travel often.
• Many say that it’s ideal for a small business.

Cons: 

• You’re limited to features only available on Squarespace. 
• You cannot download any plugins.
• Slower loading speeds due to the large selection of templates

Squarespace is best for… people looking to create a blog with image-rich content but are not looking to build their own design.

Best Blog Platform For Beginners

Wix

Wix is best known for its user-friendly interface and its design for beginners (aka the drag-and-drop software). You may have used this platform before for a school project to create a quick info page!

Key Features: 

Drag and Drop: You can easily customize through drag and drop. Wix also offers a mobile editor to make changes if you are on the go through your smartphone. 

Built-In SEO: Allows you to fill in keyword tags, metadata, and customize URLs to make posts more SEO-friendly.

High Speed: Blogs built on Wix open at lightning speed. It optimizes the website by default to ensure loading speeds are not compromised. 

Price:

Wix pricing starts at $14/month and up, depending on which plan you choose. To see the entire selection of Wix pricing options and plans, click here. 

Pros: 

• User-friendly interface with its drag-and-drop software.
• The platform has a shallow learning curve and easy setup.
• You can integrate eCommerce websites and payment options.
• Offers a free logo maker for users to create their blog logo.
• Wix offers free SSL, which helps improve your SEO ranking.

Cons: 

• Wix has limited theme options, plugins, and software integrations.
• Once you launch the website, you cannot change the theme.
• Extra cost to add additional applications and features.

Wix is best for… people who are non-techies but want to have a “normal website” and different blogging features. 

Easiest Blog Platform

Weebly

Weebly, similar to Wix, is another drag-and-drop software. It’s not as popular as Wix; however, it works the same way. Weebly has a user-friendly interface that is perfect for beginners who are just getting into blogging. 

Key Features: 

Drag and Drop: It’s very user friendly to new bloggers who are just starting. You will be able to learn while building; everything is straightforward for beginners.  

Collaboration: Weebly has a feature that allows multiple users to collaborate on the same website. You won’t need to worry about unsaved work or clashing between users. 

Membership Area: You have the option to access a members-only section of the website. It will provide areas for subscribers only or for viewers that pay for extra services. 

eCommerce: On top of blogging, you can also sell products using their eCommerce functions to build a store within the editor. This makes it easier to build a shop instead of having to download other programs. 

Price:

Weebly pricing begins $6/month and up, depending on what plan and hosting option you choose. To see the entire selection of Weebly pricing options and plans, click here.

Pros: 

• The drag-and-drop feature allows for a user-friendly experience.
• The simple setup makes it easy to learn all the features.
• No prior knowledge about coding is required.
• Offers SEO features that will help you rank higher on search engines.

Cons: 

• Minimal customization tools.
• Wix users can only use a few third-party integrations.
• It’s difficult to migrate or export the website to another platform.

Weebly is best for…well, it’s just like Wix…suitable for non-techies who want simple websites and blog functionalities. 

Best Blog Platform to Monetize

Ghost

Ghost has the same functionality as WordPress but a bit more simplistic in design. It offers a clean and straightforward interface for bloggers. Once you get the software set up, it’s easy to start writing right away.

Key Features: 

User Interface: Simple, clean, clutterless layout, and easy-to-use. Focuses mainly on content creation, making things clear with no distraction. 

SEO Friendly: Built-in SEO optimization tools to help your post become more searchable. You do not need additional plugins to optimize. 

Built-In Plugins: Ghost offers integrated plugins such as a comment section, social media, and much more. There is no need to purchase or download external sources. 

Price:

Starting at $29/month and offers three plans total. To see the entire selection of Ghost pricing options and plans, click here.

Pros: 

• Emphasizes having a clean and straightforward user interface for blogging.
• Ghost maintains high speed for mobile and desktop users.
• No additional setup is required for the hosted version.
• See a live preview version of the blog post you’re editing.

Cons: 

• They have limited themes to choose from.
• It can be challenging to customize your blog precisely to your satisfaction.

Ghost is best for… people looking for a  modern and straightforward platform without a steep learning curve (as compared to WordPress). 

Which blog platform is the best for you?

Congrats! You have reached the end of our list, and to sum it all up, we’re going to do a quick overview of everything you just read.

For those of you who are just joining us here, we recommend scrolling back up and reviewing all the platforms. Yes, you know who you are.

When you’re trying to choose the best blogging platform for you, the answer depends entirely on what you’re trying to accomplish.

If you’re looking for a little bit of everything, we recommend going with WordPress.org. It’s a great platform if you’re considering building a long-term business around your blog.

If you want the easiest platform to start a blog, we recommend Wix or Weebly. Both sites are very user friendly and just about anyone who knows how to work a computer can get started.

If you want to start a blog that is design-friendly, we recommend Ghost or Squarespace. Both options avoid the hassle of creating website designs, allowing you to use a wide variety of templates made to be simple and modern.

If you’re interested in free blogging platforms, make sure you check out our article on the best free blogging platforms.

What comes next?

At this point, you should have a basic understanding of the different blogging platforms that you can utilize to make money.

Great! Deciding on your blog platform is one of the very first steps.

The next step is where you learn how to write blog content that converts well with your readers. This step may seem intimidating at first, but trust us, once you know the basics, it’s not that bad!

We made it our goal and personal commitment to educate as many people as possible who want to work from home and start an online business that will provide them with freedom of time, money, and life.

Take this next step to learn the exact step-by-step strategy that we used to make money online and start our online business. This is our #1 recommended method if you’re looking to achieve a new level of personal and financial freedom! 

CLICK HERE to Get Started!

P.S. Did this post on the 5 Best Blogging Platforms to Make Money in 2021 help you? Are you ready to start a blog? What would it be about? We’d love to hear from you in the comment section below!

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